Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 8:59:57 GMT -6
Not all plant creatures are made the same, so someone like Orchis might have much better chances at scaling such surfaces than the sapling. Even so, she made a valiant, of not a little fore-doomed effort at it, jumping and sliding back down in equal measure. What little paws and claws Matsu had ever simply not enough to scale a sheer vertical surface in great panic.. Made all the more odder by the fact that all the while the sapling's wings were errantly buzzing, as if to help in the lift.
By the time the mammalian caught up to the sight, it was downright comical to behold, if not a little tragic in the execution. Far from it would the sphinx ridicule her for the impulse, for she herself has certainly been no stranger to making perhaps.. not the best decision in moments of fear, stress and panic.. So in a sense she could certainly empathize.
(52) Spring Darky: 52 Matsu: 10 (2/5) / 10 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 9:04:02 GMT -6
Being familiar with the impulse would have also allowed her to help with the fear management, if it weren't for the unfortunate language barrier (and likely intelligence barrier as well). No, the best thing was to let it play out a little, until the sapling could calm itself down enough that it wouldn't jump at the next possible sound, such as, say, a mammalian trying to approach through a hedge of bushes. The two were getting to be more comfortable in each other's company, yes, but even that had limits.
It was a solid two minutes later when the sapling's mind seemed to have a brighter spark of thought and she quickly crouched again the ground, fluttered open the wings in full and took off into the tree. Darky may well have lost sight of her then, if the tree wasn't still fairly barren, looking to mostly sport unbloomed blossoms, and the sapling wasn't sporting some rather bright pinks.
(53) Spring Darky: 53 Matsu: 10 (3/5) / 10 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 9:07:50 GMT -6
That's when the sphinx finally considered it safe enough to cross through the hedge and come up beneath the tree, tilting her head to catch sight of the poor sapling stuck high within, desperately clinging to the trunk of the tree several feet up. Now, on the whole there was little reason to be concerned that the sapling might get stuck or hurt herself, seeing as her wings made being inconvenienced by a tree rather minimal. But that didn't quite cover her emotional state, nor impulse to do something rash that could still result in injury.
Which meant the sooner Darky could calm her down, the better. Which would have been a whole lot easier to do if she had any clue as to how.. Saplings weren't your standard run-of-the-labs type creatures, meaning they were less observed and more unknown compared to something like, say, a kito. For all she knew Matsu might not even eat and simply drank the sunlight.
(54) Spring Darky: 54 Matsu: 10 (4/5) / 10 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 9:29:37 GMT -6
Again, not likely to be quite as simple, though it would have been nice if it was. Instead, the sphinx would have to go at it the old fashioned way - trying something and seeing what happens (and cleaning up whatever ends up going wrong in the process). Leaning closer to the tree, she started with a, "Hey, Matsu.. How are you doing?" for lack of having a particularly better idea. If nothing else, it got the sapling's attention pretty quick enough, as two large and fairly spooked pair of eyes stared down at her through the branches.
"There you are," the sphinx tried to put on a reassuring smile. Even if Matsu might not have the context of smiles or what they're meant to convey, it helped to keep her own voice as easy and level as possible. "I think the danger's passed, so you can come down now. There's nothing to worry about here."
(55) Spring Darky: 55 Matsu: 11 (0/5) / 11 (0/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 9:34:43 GMT -6
A statement that wasn't necessarily true, considering she never did check to see what the initial sound had been, though her experience has shown that usually such things are simply accidents or results of bad timing. If it had been something actually dangerous then that would have reverberated throughout the whole garden, like a ripple effect passing from one denizen to the next, each adding their own fear to the last - A populous garden made for difficult management, but it made for a very particular ecosystem that worked well within itself.
As far as her statements and reassurances went, Matsu didn't seem particularly receptive, largely because in her mind she had been the first line of detection in that threat chain, nevermind the rest of the garden didn't respond in kind. Perhaps any other time it would have been reason enough to calm down after a while, if she hadn't already been doing something somewhat 'risky' to begin with.
(56) Spring Darky: 56 Matsu: 11 (1/5) / 11 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 9:55:03 GMT -6
Conditioning or no, the sapling had gone against a part of her better judgement in trusting the sphinx to be something that could be considered 'safe'. If she hadn't, then there was hardly cause or reason to hang around her for so long, trusting her curiosity to make it worthwhile. And, while true enough that she had been quite entertained with the observations, both mammalian and sapling had none the less only communicated at a distance, without directly making contact with one another. The sphinx knew she had been there, but purposefully avoided making eye contact, while the sapling remained close enough to see her actions, without revealing herself (in her own mind, at least).
And now the two-legger was standing just below, staring up right at her, and making noises. To be sure the situation would have been at least a little concerning for most creatures, much less ones who already started out pretty skittish.
(57) Spring Darky: 57 Matsu: 11 (2/5) / 11 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 9:58:31 GMT -6
However uncertain, it was at least a beginning, as the sapling was aware of her presence. The next steps from there weren't going to be any easier, but they were more familiar. "As I said, the danger's gone past, so you shouldn't have anything to worry about," the mammalian continued with a warm smile and reassuring voice. In all the time they've intentionally avoided crossing paths with one another the mammalian hadn't really been particularly vocal, short of the occasional mutter to herself. As such, familiarizing the sapling with her voice was a required step, if she had any hope of getting her out of the tree.
"Probably one of the lola bumped up against something. Much of the branches still need to be cleared from winter, which is something I'm slowly working on." That last part came with a small pang of shame, considering it was something that really should have been done a lot sooner in the season.
(58) Spring Darky: 58 Matsu: 11 (3/5) / 11 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 10:02:55 GMT -6
Unfortunately, while the accident could have been caused by anything, she didn't really have anyone else to blame for leaving the garden more than a little untidy after the first spring storms. So in a round about way it could have been said the sapling being up in the three was for much the same reason. But, that was neither here nor there to the end result.. Hindsight or no, the situation before her needed resolving, regardless of what caused it.
Silence followed from the sapling's side, making the mammalian almost wonder if Matsu could even make sounds. Surely she'd have to, unless the other occasional chirps and peeps from previous instances were somehow contributed to hidden lola in her place. Of course, the other reason could also be that she was still far too scared to further betray her location with sound, nevermind the mammalian was already looking directly at her.
(59) Spring Darky: 59 Matsu: 11 (4/5) / 11 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 20, 2022 10:07:15 GMT -6
It didn't take her long to realize the approach wasn't quite working, least not by itself. Pausing, the mammalian started looking around the area, even patting her own pockets for something, anything.. Ah! There was indeed something that might help. "Hold that thought," she looked up the tree at the sapling, before moving over to the row of bushes and leaning beneath one. Coming back out, she brushed some dry leaves off from where some had endured on the branches throughout the whole of winter, and approached the tree again.
"Now, they aren't much, but from the looks of them they're fresh at least," Darky also dusted off the small bundle of berries, before holding them up towards the top of the tree, "Something to settle the nerves, maybe?" In truth she only partly recognised the berries, and so assumed they were edible enough to offer. If Matsu wasn't one for food then surely she'd reject them outright, but for now the sapling's nose did seem to lightly twitch at the sight.
(60) Spring Darky: 60 - (added) Matsu: 12 (0/5) / 12 (0/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 21, 2022 10:04:57 GMT -6
There was a sense familiarity in the sapling's eyes as she watched the mammalian offer up the berries. Something she had previously seen in the garden on occasion (as far as 'occasions' went within the context of their own individual seasons). She had found them to be interesting back then, perhaps not so much for the fact of them being food, or food-like, but more that they were shiny and brightly coloured (as most edible fruits and berries were).
Of course, just because she's now curious over these berries didn't mean that she assumed it was completely safe to come out.. Whatever made that noise could still be within the garden, and her senses were waiting for that next tell-tale sound down the line of alarm, for the mussimander's call or a lola's sudden flight, to prove that fear true. Waiting.. waiting.. but nothing came, only the two-legger remaining standing beneath the tree with her hands outstretched.
(61) Spring Darky: 61 Matsu: 12 (1/5) / 12 (1/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 21, 2022 10:11:51 GMT -6
A thought did begin to occur to her, that perhaps the threat had passed, that there was some form of mistake.. or maybe the two-legger had chased it right off. The mammalian would have certainly had the comparative size to do so, being much bigger than the sapling herself. And what she didnt know about her actual degree of danger, she could assume from her ability to handle and manage things. After all, the sapling had watched her turn a pile of wood and branches into a whole nest for one of those fluttering things. In a matter of moments! If Matsu wanted to build a nest it would have taken her days just to start.
And, well.. one had to really face the facts of the matter, which was that she was being offered food on a proverbial platter. No-one else in the garden really did that, as most of them sought to keep their own stores safe.
(62) Spring Darky: 62 Matsu: 12 (2/5) / 12 (2/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 21, 2022 10:23:24 GMT -6
Well, almost no-one. There was that silvery serpent that sometimes brought little gifts to the various denizens, and made sure to leave plenty of areas clear for nesting space. Matsu had rather liked that silver one, and looking at the mammalian offering up some berries now, couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with the gesture.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the sapling unfurled itself from where she was clutching the trunk of the tree. The mammalian, for her part, remained quite still, short of only adding the occasional "There you go.. Easy does it. Come and get something to eat, okay?" to encourage her further, all too aware that any sudden movement or unexpected sound could just as well spook her off once more. She'd never really thought most of the garden critters skittish (lotine not withstanding) so it was curious to see the sapling so terribly reserved after the spooked sound.
(63) Spring Darky: 63 Matsu: 12 (3/5) / 12 (3/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 21, 2022 10:29:05 GMT -6
The sapling slowly unfolded her wings, beginning to move back down the tree trunk once more. Her eyes never really left the sphinx or the treat in her hand, but her ears and attention span was none the less angling around, trying to take in any other hint or clue of threat in their surroundings. Perhaps the sphinx had understood her reserve that much better if she too would have lived in an environment where shelter largely depended on the season, and parts of the year were spent a lot more out in the open than usual.
It would have been a little like having a house that sheds its walls every fall, remains a barebones roof and timbers throughout the winter where the snows might create banks around it if you're lucky, and only regains walls later in spring, allowing you to finally have some protection. Not exactly the most likely of comparisons, but certainly closest in accuracy.
(64) Spring Darky: 64 Matsu: 12 (4/5) / 12 (4/5)
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Darky
Flea Market Artist
Veritas et Aequitas
Posts: 1,268
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Post by Darky on Jun 21, 2022 10:33:21 GMT -6
Eventually the sapling begins short, controlled hops down some branches, drawing closed to the mammalian's hand, as her wings control the descent. She might've been a bit too frightened to have thought about literal flight in her own fearful flight moment, but she was certainly compensating for it now that her mind was calming down.
"Almost there," the sphinx continued to smile and hold still, as yet unsure how far the sapling's calm was extending. Anything surface level would be all to easy to stir up again, so she didn't want to get too familiar just yet. Finally, Matsu was a mere foot away from the berries in the hand, pausing long enough to consider and angle of approach. She wasn't really looking to land on the two-legger or touch her hand, so it presented a bit of a cat-around-a-porridge situation. The small nose continued to twitch, until finally she reached out one arm to try and snatch the berry instead.
(65) Spring Darky: 65 - (added) Matsu: 13 (0/5) / 13 (0/5)
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Post by Jack on Jun 21, 2022 13:17:15 GMT -6
How much more colorful can that flower be?
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